Brussels, 01/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the end of “a comprehensive review of the situation in Eastern Ukraine”, the EU ambassadors decided, on Tuesday 30 September, to maintain sanctions against Russia. The ambassadors believed that “while encouraging developments have been registered in the political process and in the implementation of some aspects of the Minsk Protocol, relevant parts of the same protocol will need to be properly implemented”, said the European External Action Service (EEAS). The ceasefire has been broken on several occasions since 5 September. Since this date, 68 civilians and military have been killed - ten of them during bombings on 1 October.
“If the situation on the ground so warrants, the Commission and the EEAS would be invited to put forward to the Council proposals to amend, suspend or repeal the set of sanctions in force, in all or in part”, the EEAS stated.
Ukraine will be one of the subjects for the EU Council of Foreign Affairs, to be held in Luxembourg on 20 October. The sanctions are due to be reviewed before 31 October. (CG)